Information Regarding All Aboard Florida (AAF) Project

PROJECT SUMMARY

In March 2012, Florida East Coast Industries (FECI), a private company, introduced a proposal for a high-speed passenger rail service known as “All Aboard Florida” (AAF). The project proposes “express” rail service between Miami and Orlando, with additional stations in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. The service is proposed to operate on the Florida East Coast (FEC) rail corridor from Miami to Cocoa, which is approximately 195 miles, and along SR 528 from Cocoa to Orlando International Airport, which is approximately 40 miles. The company proposes to operate hourly service from 6 AM until 9 PM, with 16 daily trains in each direction, totaling 32 trains per day. FECI indicates the service would operate at speeds up to 79 MPH from Miami to West Palm Beach, up to 110 MPH from West Palm Beach to Cocoa, and up to 125 MPH from Cocoa to Orlando. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is the lead federal agency responsible for the project.

QUIET ZONES

A Quiet Zone is a locally determined a section of a rail line where additional safety measures have been put in place, if necessary, waiving the requirement that locomotives must blow their horns when approaching grade crossings. The Quiet Zone does not prevent the use of horns to address imminent safety concerns (e.g., cars or pedestrian stranded on the tracks). A Quiet Zone must be at least a half-mile long with at least one public highway-rail grade crossing. The Federal Railroad Administration is the federal agency responsible for the oversight of quiet zones across the United States. A Quiet Zone Information package, provided by FRA, is provided below.

USCG MARINE NAVIGATIONAL SURVEYS REGARDING FEC RAILROAD BRIDGES

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) is conducting Marine Navigational Surveys to evaluate navigational conditions at three FEC railroad bridges, including the St. Lucie River Railroad Bridge (Stuart, Florida), Loxahatchee River Railroad Bridge (Jupiter/Tequesta, Florida), and New River Bridge (Fort Lauderdale, Florida). The lead agency for this action is the USCG’s Seventh District Bridge Branch based in Miami. Following public meetings and a public comment period that ended in December 2014, the USCG published a “Notice of Proposed Rule-Making” (33 CFR Part 117) in the November 3, 2015 Federal Register (Vol. 80, No. 212) to modify the bridge-opening schedule for the New River Bridge in Fort Lauderdale. The USCG has not provided a schedule for a Notice of Proposed Rule-Making to modify bridge-opening schedules for the St. Lucie River and Loxahatchee River railroad bridges.

PROJECT PERMITS: FEDERAL & STATE AGENCIES

In 2012, FECI applied for a Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) loan, which is a financing source administered by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). Information on the RRIF loan program is available on the FRA web page titled “Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing (RRIF),” located at http://www.fra.dot.gov/page/P0128

Two All Aboard Florida federal permit documents, coordinated by the FRA, are required pursuant to the RRIF loan application.

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In 2012, All Aboard Florida prepared an “Environmental Assessment” (EA) for its proposed “All Aboard Florida Passenger Rail Project – West Palm Beach to Miami, Florida” in support of an application to the FRA for funding under the RRIF program to construct the project. The EA focuses on the portion of the project from West Palm Beach to Miami, which is approximately 66 miles. The proposed improvements include the construction of new platforms at three stations (West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami) along with new track sidings at stations, new track signal controls, restoration of a second track within the existing FEC corridor, upgrades to highway and pedestrian crossings, rehabilitation of sidings, rehabilitation of existing bridges, and “control work only” for the New River Bridge. The FRA reviewed the EA and associated public comments, and in January 2013, the FRA issued a “Finding of No Significant Impact” (FONSI).

All documents related to the Environmental Assessment are available on the FRA web page related to Rail Development – Environment – Completed Environmental Reviews - “All Aboard Florida Passenger Rail Project from West Palm Beach to Miami, Florida,” located at: http://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P0590.

Related to the All Aboard Florida RRIF loan application in 2012, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is the lead federal agency for the development of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential environmental and related impacts of constructing and operating the proposed All Aboard Florida project from Miami to Orlando. An EIS is intended to address all project improvements that were not addressed in the Environmental Assessment, including but not limited to improvements to the existing FEC rail corridor from Miami to Cocoa, the construction of a new double-track from Cocoa to Orlando, station development, and improvements to bridges and grade crossings. The FRA published a “Notice of Intent” to prepare an EIS in the Federal Register in April 2013, and the agency conducted a series of “scoping meetings” in May 2013 to gain input on the EIS. The first document published for review in an EIS process is a "Draft Enviornmental Impact Statement" (DEIS), which is followed by a formal public comment period, and then publication of a Final EIS. For the proposed All Aboard Florida project, the FRA published a DEIS on September 19, 2014 and is responsible for collecting and addressing comments from other federal, state, regional, and local agencies as well as the public. There is a 75-day public comment period on the DEIS, which requires all comments be transmitted to the FRA by December 3, 2014, to be included as part of the official public record. The FRA is conducting a series of eight public meetings between October 27 and November 13, 2014 to collect public comments. The federal EIS process and public meeting schedule are detailed below:

U.S. Coast Guard Public Notices (11-14 and 12-14)
Agency: U.S. Coast Guard
Date: September 4, 2014 and September 19, 2014

Description: The U.S. Coast Guard is conducting navigational surveys of three waterways impacted by rail traffic, which include the New River, Loxahatchee River, and St. Lucie River. USCG is soliciting written comments through November 1, 2014 (Public Notice 11-14 includes details and comment form).

Description: The U.S. Coast Guard has indicated it is postponing and reformatting three public meetings that were formerly scheduled October 1-3, 2014 regarding the navigational surveys (Public Notice 12-14). Details regarding these meetings will be posted upon receipt from the U.S. Coast Guard.

CONTACT INFORMATION

There are many federal, state, regional, and local agencies that maintain different areas of responsibility for properties, resources, and facilities that may be impacted by the proposed All Aboard Florida project. Accordingly, contact information for those agencies relevant to EIS process is provided below.